The Alliance Française French Film Festival (AF FFF), Australia’s largest national film festival and the biggest celebration of French cinema outside of France, has today announced its 2025 return. Set to showcase more than 5,500 screenings of the crème de la crème of contemporary French film across 18 cities, the festival returns to Australia from 4 March – 27 April 2025.
The anticipated 36th edition continues its prestigious partnership with Palace Cinemas, with 2025 marking the largest national footprint in the festival’s history as five new locations (Darwin, Ballina, Ballarat, Warriewood and Warrawong) are introduced to meet the growing Aussie appetite and curiosity in French culture.
Leading up to the AF FFF, Nick L’Barrow spoke with CEO Frederic Alliod about what audiences can expect from this year’s festival, and the importance of exploring new world’s of cinema.
Nick: Frederic, thank you so much for taking the time to chat today! It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Frederic Alliod: No, thank you for having me! I’m looking forward to discussing the festival with you!
Nick: I’m also interested in finding out where people’s journeys began with international cinema. Do you remember when you first saw a film from a foreign country?
Frederic Alliod: I grew up in France, and everything we got was dubbed [in French]. So, when I was a kid, I thought I was watching only French films, especially on TV, but also in the movie theatre. We were very good at doing that, and I thought it was seamless. I was not used to watching films in their original versions.
And I think I started to watch films in foreign languages when I was roughly, like, 13. I remember going, living in Paris, going to the movie theatre. It was late in the 80s, the early 90s, and most of the films I would watch would be in English with French subtitles. And there was a period of time where I was consuming so much film. I was going to the movies 2 or 3 times a week. I’d go with myself, or my parents, or my friends.
I would see everything from Die Hard, or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which was a shock for me because I remember watching this film and I was thinking, “They can’t do that! It’s not following the rules!” And it’s that kind of creativity that really made its mark on me.
Nick: I think it’s so important and cool for movie lovers to explore a wide range of films from different places. How does a film festival like yours help people discover a whole new world of stories?
Frederic Alliod: This is an opportunity to see these films in the best conditions possible – on the big screen. Going back to my years in France, one thing is that French cinemas would screen movies from all over the world. We had theatres with bold programming. And I’m not saying it was always successful, but the opportunity was there!
I have been working with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many years, and I was posted in many countries where these foreign films were not actually being released in movie theatres. So, organising a festival was the only chance for people to actually see these films in the cinema.
And we are working with Australian distributors who have the rights to these films, and they will be released. Because of that, with some of these films being smaller, arthouse films, it takes a lot of publicity and advertising for them to be seen at the same time as the Hollywood blockbusters. So, it makes this festival like a cultural event. It focuses on French cinema, brining a spotlight on these films. And the audiences are there to enjoy the whole experience and find films that may have been more under the radar.
Nick: It’s well known the impact French cinema has had on modern cinema, but I’m curious to find out what you believe influenced French cinema. How did French culture and history influence the films we see out of France?
Frederic Alliod: Well, if we’re looking back at French cinema, the big moment was the new wave of filmmakers like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, and their very natural take on filmmaking. Before them, movies were shot in studios, the costumes were perfect. And I miss this type of cinema, but this new generation really changed the game with realism. They would use natural lighting while filming on the street. The stories reflect reality. And this had a strong impact of French cinema.
This influenced a lot of independent filmmakers all over the world. Spielberg, Scorsese, Coppola, they were all in love with this type of cinema. So, the people who invented New Wave cinema, realism cinema, they influenced the people who actually invented the blockbuster.
Nick: I think the power of cinema is that I, as an Australian, can watch French stories and still relate to them on a personal level despite the cultural differences. Why do you think that is?
Frederic Alliod: I always say that because it is so grounded, makes it relatable. Even though, you’re right, the cultural gap between Australia and France is much bigger than one would expect, but we are all human. These are universal stories that we are all telling. The context may be different, but it can still be entertaining, and interesting.
However, the one thing that is more challenging is comedies, because people don’t always laugh at the same things. French humour can be a bit mean, a bit dark. We do mock a lot. And some may find it offensive. But I think it’s always fun to try them and give them a go.
Nick: This is your second year as the CEO of the French Film Festival. What was a takeaway from last year’s festival that you were excited to see happen for audiences this year?
Frederic Alliod: I’m trying to find a good balance between films that are really entertaining, because I want people to have a good time, but I also want the festival to be more than just about screening films. We have discussions, Q+A’s, panels. We have an experience of a cultural event. And I am already having discussions with people to grow that even more next year!
Nick: As we close out, what are some of the highlights people should keep an eye out for at this year’s festival?
Frederic Alliod: Well, we have the classic Army of Shadows, which has been recently restored in 4K and played at the Cannes Film Festival this year. And also, it’s the 80th anniversary of World War II, so it makes sense to screen that film.
Also, we have The Count of Monte Cristo, which was a box office hit in France last year. Plus, biopics about French culture icons like Monsieur Charles Aznavour, who is a French composer and singer. There is a film about Sarah Berhardt, who was one of our first international superstars. And these are all stories that I think people will find quite universal.
Thank you to Frederic for his time, and to ThinkTank Communications for organising the interview. The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival returns to Australia from March 4 – April 27 across select cities. Head to www.affrenchfilmfestival.org for more information.
